Jan 25, 2015 | By Alec

While we are becoming increasingly aware of the negative sides of being a social media addict (i.e. giving up your privacy), there are some definite advantages to it as well. Just as Ainaa Amanda Shahzali, a seven-year old girl from Malaysia who has just started attending the first grade.

Ainaa was tragically born without a right hand, but has been able to live a relatively carefree live despite it. But thanks to 3D printing and social media, she will now be able to do a lot more with her friends and even hold things with both hands. For after a video of her going to school (below) was posted online, media across Malaysia exploded with sympathy.

As a result, the adorable young girl was given not one, but two prosthetic hands custom made for her with a 3D printer. Good things always come in pairs? They certainly did this time, as two men independently of each other decided to 3D print a prosthetic for her. The two men, chief executive officer of Malaysian 3D printing company Pebblereka 3D Print Ahmad Hilmi Muhammad and businessman and 3D printing enthusiast Sujana Mohd Rejab, both provided her with a great looking mechanical hand on two separate occasions.

Malaysian media reported that Ainaa was absolutely thrilled with both donations, and brief videos of her trying one of them on can be seen below. Both are of plastic, and feature a mechanical grip that will allow her to pick up and use things, like drinking from a cup or drawing with a pencil. The seven-year-old was quoted as saying that she ‘Cannot wait to get to school tomorrow, and show it to friends and teachers. Ainaa has a new arm!’

Of course it’s hardly an entirely new concept; E-NABLE’s volunteers have been doing wonderful work like this for a while now (and are always looking for more volunteers). But isn’t it heart-warming to see what 3D printing technology can mean to people regardless of nationality, religion or gender? Even your desktop machine can be used to change a child’s life!


Posted in 3D Printing Applications

 

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